Essential Opera - Reading Together - Part 17

Puccini's opera, La Boheme is among his most famous operas.

The setting of this opera is in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1830s.

Four young bohemians, Marcello, Schaunard, Colline, and Rodolfo, share a garret apartment as they seek to earn a living with their art. While Marcello, Schaunard, and Colline go out one evening to celebrate, Rodolfo meets Mimi (who lives next door) and they fall in love.

Mimi and Rodolfo meet up with Rodolfo's friends at the Cafe Momus. There they come across Musetta, who although she is with a rich admirer (Alcindoro), is actually in love with Marcello. Musetta sends Alcindoro on an errand to get rid of him. After having eaten at the cafe, the friends realize they have no money, so Musetta charges the entire bill to Alcindoro. The four friends, Mimi, and Musetta leave, and Alcindoro returns to find he's been left with the bill.

A while later, "Mimi appears, coughing violently. She tries to find Marcello, currently living in a little tavern where he paints signs for the innkeeper. She tells him of her hard life with Rodolfo, who abandoned her the night before, and of Rodolfo's terrible jealousy. Marcello tells her that Rodolfo is asleep inside, and expresses concern about Mimì's cough. Rodolfo wakes up and comes out looking for Marcello. Mimi hides and overhears Rodolfo first telling Marcello that he left Mimì because of her coquettishness, but finally confessing that his jealousy is a sham: he fears she is slowly being consumed by a deadly illness. Rodolfo, in his poverty, can do little to help Mimì and hopes that his pretended unkindness will inspire her to seek another, wealthier suitor. Out of kindness towards Mimì, Marcello tries to silence him, but she has already heard all. Her weeping and coughing reveal her presence, and Rodolfo hurries to her. Musetta's laughter is heard and Marcello goes to find out what has happened. Mimì tells Rodolfo that she is leaving him, and asks that they separate amicably; but their love for one another is too strong for the pair to part. As a compromise, they agree to remain together until the spring, when the world is coming to life again and no one feels truly alone. Meanwhile, Marcello has found Musetta, and the couple quarrel fiercely about Musetta's flirtatiousness: an antithetical counterpoint to the other pair's reconciliation."

Some months later, both Marcello and Rodolfo are working and talking about both Mimi and Musetta who have left them for wealthy lovers. Schaunard and Colline arrive and the four have a very frugal dinner together. Musetta suddenly appears to tell them that she has found Mimi in the street, severely weakened by her illness. They assist Mimi onto a bed, and all but Rodolfo leave to scrounge up some money for medicine. As the friends return, Mimi tells Rodolfo she feels better and falls asleep. The opera ends with Rodolfo realizing she is dead.

Leave your comments and impressions below. And, don't forget to read the eighteenth installment for next week.

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Essential Opera - Reading Together - Part 16

Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer who lived in the late 19th century and early 20th century. His operas are still frequently performed today.

Among his most famous operas are La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, and Turandot.

This quote on Puccini's approach to La Boheme really stood out to me.
"Puccini once said that his success came from putting 'great sorrows in little souls.' His operas tell us that at some point in their lives, people everywhere, in all walks of life, endure the same trials: love and envy, loss and heartbreak. That's especially true in La Boheme, a story set among struggling artists in the Latin Quarter of Paris." (source)

For more resources on Puccini and his operas, check out this resource from NPR.

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Essential Opera - Reading Together - Part 15

Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) is a set of four operas written by Richard Wagner.

"The plot revolves around a magic ring that grants the power to rule the world, forged by the Nibelung dwarf Alberich from gold he stole from the Rhine maidens in the river Rhine. With the assistance of the God Loge, Wotan – the chief of the gods – steals the ring from Alberich, who curses it, but is forced to hand it over to the giants, Fafner and Fasolt in payment for building the home of the gods, Valhalla. Wotan's schemes to regain the ring, spanning generations, drive much of the action in the story. His grandson, the mortal Siegfried, wins the ring by slaying Fafner (who slew Fasolt for the ring) – as Wotan intended – but is eventually betrayed and slain as a result of the intrigues of Alberich's son Hagen, who wants the ring. Finally, the Valkyrie Brünnhilde – Siegfried's lover and Wotan's daughter who lost her immortality for defying her father in an attempt to save Siegfried's Father Sigmund – returns the ring to the Rhine maidens as she commits suicide on Siegfried's funeral pyre. Hagen is drowned as he attempts to recover the ring. In the process, the gods and Valhalla are destroyed."

One significant aspect of these operas is Wagner's use of leitmotifs. He uses these recurring music themes to help the audience follow the action that is taking place on the stage.

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Essential Opera - Reading Together - Part 14

Richard Wagner lived from 1813 to 1883. It is noteworthy that Wagner "wrote both the scenario and libretto" for his operas. As part of his dedication to the staging of operas, he built his own opera house (the Bayreuth Festspielhaus), and his most significant works continue to be performed there "in an annual festival run by his descendants."

Among Wagner's well-known operas are Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, and the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).

The following composers were greatly influenced by Wagner and his music: Anton Bruckner, Cesar Franck, Jules Massenet, Richard Strauss, and Gustav Mahler.

Wagner also "made a major contribution to the principles and practice of conducting. His essay 'About Conducting' (1869) ... claimed that conducting was a means by which a musical work could be re-interpreted, rather than simply a mechanism for achieving orchestral unison."

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